District Man Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder While Armed and Other Charges in 2012 Murder of Unarmed Teenager
Defendant and Two Accomplices Fired at Least 28 Shots at Group of Unarmed Young Men

U.S. Attorney’s Office
April 18, 2014

District of Columbia(202) 252-6933

WASHINGTON—Calvin Shaw, 24, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder while armed and other charges for the July 4, 2012 shooting of a group of unarmed teenagers and young men, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen, Jr. announced today. Shaw also was convicted of charges stemming from a second shooting earlier that year.

Shaw, also known as Sharkim Sharp, was found guilty by the jury on April 17, 2014, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He is to be sentenced on June 20, 2014, by the Honorable Jennifer Anderson. Shaw faces a mandatory minimum of 67 years of incarceration and a maximum sentence of 290 years in prison for the various offenses.

In addition to the murder charge, the jury found Shaw guilty of five counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, two counts of aggravated assault while armed, and related weapons offenses for the July 4, 2012 shooting, which took place in the 5000 block of First Street NW. He also was found guilty of two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, one count of aggravated assault while armed, and related weapons offenses for an April 18, 2012 shooting that occurred in the same block.

According to the government’s evidence, the murder took place at about 7:55 p.m. on July 4, 2012, when Shaw and two accomplices walked into the 5000 block of First Street NW and opened fire on a group of unarmed teenagers and young men who were gathered to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday and enjoy a cookout. As the teenagers and young man ran for cover, a gunshot pierced the back of 19-year-old Crevontai Key, severing his aortic arch and killing him. A second 19-year-old victim suffered serious injuries when he was shot in the abdomen. A 15-year-old victim was injured when a bullet grazed the top of the head. A fourth young man was shot in the back, with the bullet exiting his neck. Several other young men were shot at as they ran away. In total, Shaw and his two accomplices fired 28 times at the group of young men.

The jury also found Shaw guilty of the April 18, 2012 shooting of a young man in the same block and of attempting to shoot another young man who rushed to that victim’s aid.

In announcing the verdicts, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the efforts of those who worked on the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the FBI. U.S. Attorney Machen also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney and Kwasi Fields; Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Witness Security Specialist Debra Cannon; and Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling.

Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Kerkhoff and Michelle Parikh, who tried the case, as well as former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bruce Hegyi and Heather Carlton, who investigated the case.